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It’s a Crying Shame: Why Eyelash Extensions are Not For Me

I want to like eyelash extensions. Unfortunately, it seems that they don’t get along with my natural lashes.

The first time I tried eyelash extensions was three years ago. It was before my wedding, and I wanted to look beautiful without a lot of effort. I didn’t hire a makeup artist, so I figured I can do services like eyelash extensions and not have to worry about fake eyelashes when doing makeup. Not only that, my semi-permanent falsies would last all the way through Fiji honeymoon! It was the best decision I ever made.

[x_pullquote type=”left”] Fast forward several months later, I haven’t gotten the latest touch up, and I’m noticing that my eyelashes are broken off in a lot of places.[/x_pullquote] I recently started getting lash extensions again at a nearby salon that I’ve used in the past. Instead of doing it once for a special occasion, I decided to upkeep them. I got a superb set done to start with, and then I came back every three weeks for touch ups. Fast-forward several months later, I haven’t gotten the latest touch up, and I’m noticing that my eyelashes are broken off in a lot of places. It seems that the eyelash extensions are damaging my lashes. Not to mention the fact they started skimping on lash density with subsequent touch-ups. And here I thought that it was going to be a good solution to save a lot of time and effort when doing makeup.

If you haven’t tried them yet, getting extensions for a special event is the way to go. You lay in the semi-comfortable aesthetician bed for an hour while the technician attaches each lash one by one.

In the past, I’ve chosen both “natural” lengths and shapes, as well as “dramatic” looks. I can honestly say, even though it’s a bit shocking at first, I was most satisfied with the dramatic choices.

The biggest downfall is the difficulty of makeup application when you have giant spider legs growing out of your eyes. Seriously, eyeliner was put on hold. Instead, I pseudo-lined eyes with packed in dark eyeshadow and a dense brush. I was extremely careful not to be too rough washing my face with the new lashes. Eventually, they start falling out the same way they were put in: out one by one. It may start as early as next day! Then things start going downhill: You wind up with what I call patch lash. Dense areas of lash clusters become interspersed with more barren and natural lashes. You get the idea. I thought I could save myself by doing the touch-ups, but it’s not cost-economical and I still ran into the problem a few days later.

I’m still waiting for the day that a miracle serum quadruples the length and density of my lashes, until then, I’m back to trying out different mascaras.